International Research

Why teachers and students stay home: A mixed-methods analysis of teacher and student absenteeism across nine schools in Guyana

Travis J. Bristol
2017
Summary

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the influences of teacher and student absenteeism across nine public schools (five primary and four secondary) in Guyana, South America. Design/methodology/approach To conduct this study, the author employed a mixed-methods study that included a descriptive analysis of a purposive sample of teacher ( n =69) and student ( n =175) surveys and semi-structured interviews with head teachers ( n =8), teachers ( n =25), students ( n =36), and parents ( n =9). Findings The findings suggested that teacher absenteeism can be...

To Be Alone or in a Group: An Exploration Into How the School-Based Experiences Differ for Black Male Teachers Across One Urban School District

Travis J. Bristol
2017

One urban district administered the Black Male Teacher Environment Survey (BMTES) to each of its Black male teachers to measure their school-based experiences. This article highlights descriptive statistics from the 86 Black male teacher respondents. Findings suggest that participants’ background characteristics and school-based experiences varied by the number of Black men on the faculty. Loners, schools with one Black male teacher on the faculty, reported different experiences when compared with Groupers, schools with four or more Black male teachers on the faculty. Specifically,...